H-1387              _______________________________________________

                                           HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 4007

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Belcher, Allen, Jacobsen, Nelson, Lux, Leonard, Unsoeld, Fisher, P. King, Wang and Spanel

Read first time 2/6/87 and referred to Committee on State Government.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The Congress has voted funds in the past year in the amount of one hundred million dollars in support of the Contra rebels in Nicaragua; and

          WHEREAS, Forty million dollars of those funds still remain to be disbursed to the Contras; and

          WHEREAS, The armed conflict in Nicaragua has brought economic hardship, injury, death, and destruction of property to much of the population of that country; and

          WHEREAS, Other countries of Central America are also involved directly or indirectly in armed conflicts; and

          WHEREAS, A negotiated settlement to the disputes in Nicaragua and other Central American countries is clearly preferable to continued warfare; and

          WHEREAS, The Contadora Group consisting of Columbia, Mexico, Panama, and Venezuela and supported by Argentina, Brazil, Peru, and Uruguay are attempting to achieve a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Nicaragua as well as in other countries of Central America;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that the United States Congress take immediate action to withhold the remaining forty million dollars allocated to the Contra rebels, and take immediate action declaring itself in support of the efforts of the Contadora Group to settle conflicts in Nicaragua and other Central American countries by negotiation.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.